High school wrestling: Riverside's Rosborough avoids Semi Slide

Jeff Forman/JForman@News-Herald.comAlec Shenk, Perry, puts Logan Reaser, Ravena, in a hold as Shenk wins the Division II third place 160-pound weight class match Saturday at the Schottenstein Center in Columbus.

COLUMBUS -- The Semi Slide has claimed its share of casualties over the years at the state wrestling tournament.

Evan Rosborough was determined to make sure it didn't claim him, too.

With a pin in the consolation semifinals and an 11-1 major decision in the consolation final, Riverside's senior 220-pounder made sure the Semi Slide hadn't affected him.

The Semi Slide is the term for what happens when a wrestler loses in the semifinal round, then goes to the consolation bracket and ends losing two more times to settle for sixth place.

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"You always hear about guys taking the Semi Slide," Rosborough said. "I wasn't about to do that. It's awful knowing there's a guy in the finals that I could beat pretty bad. But I wanted to show everybody here I deserved to be in the finals."

Rosborough is one of 12 area wrestlers who had their dreams of a state championship shattered. But he is also one of 12 area wrestlers who didn't settle for just being at the state tournament, and proved it by battling through the consolation bracket to place anywhere from third through eighth.

"There's a big difference between third and sixth," said Dees, who battled back after a semifinal loss to place fourth in his weight class. "I wanted to get as high as I could on the podium."

Dees successfully bounced back from a semifinal loss on Friday by pinning his first opponent Saturday morning, though he lost his consolation final to place fourth.

Teammates Schenk and Nichols dominated after losses on Friday. Schenk won decisions of 4-2 and 7-3 to place third. Nichols, who was cast into the consolation bracket when he was disqualified from a quarterfinal for dropping his opponent on his head, cradled Minerva's Harrison Hoppel in his consolation for a pin and then cradled Urbana's Sam Harris in a 13-4 major-decision win.

"Yeah, I was trying to switch it up. Normally I don't hit those (cradles) too much," deadpanned Nichols, whose signature move is a cradle.

Nichols said it was difficult to head home with third place, knowing he wasn't beaten on the mat.

"But this feels great, man," he said.

Lasko, a sophomore, lost in a semifinal on Friday. But he bounced back for a pin in the consolation semifinal round before losing a 3-2 decision to St. Ignatius' Tommy Zeigler in the final to settle for fourth.

A broad smile came over Lasko's face after his consolation semifinal pin of St. Charles' Tim Rooney, who Lasko said he "owed" for a loss in a junior high tournament three years ago.

"No one really had me ranked coming into state or (thought) I'd show up here," he said. "I'm glad to show those people up and show even though you're not ranked, you can still make it."

Gessic became a two-time state placer with a 3-1 decision over Fairfield Union's Stewart Oehlers in the consolation finals to place fifth.